The Most Perfect Thing
by link no miko
Summary: The night that changed Maes Hughes' life forever. [preshow oneshot]


Hey all. This was written for my friend Dagas Isa for Christmas, and is meant to be pure fluffy goodness. No spoilers whatsoever, and takes place completely pre-show. Some details may be a bit wrong (I hope not though) and I made up the flower thing (that makes sense once you read it, trust me), but other than that…

Anywho. Simple fluffy one-shot. Enjoy

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"The Most Perfect Thing"

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Hughes sat at his desk, idly tapping a pencil against the hard wood surface, chin in his other palm and looking up through his glasses at the ceiling. He found that if he forced himself not to look at the clock hanging above the doorway directly across from his desk, his day passed a whole hell of a lot faster.

And for this particular day, it couldn't end fast enough.

"Maes."

Concentration broken, Hughes dropped the pencil, lowering his eyes just in time to see the wooden writing tool skitter off the desk and clatter to the floor. Roy Mustang stood across the desk, one eyebrow raised as he followed the pencil's path, then looked back up only to be met with Hughes' usual goofy grin.

"You rang?"

Sighing, hand twitching as he forced it to stay at his side and _not_ rise up to rub at his temple, Roy nodded to the still spinning pencil.

"Did I interrupt something?"

Hughes laughed and sat back, pushing his glasses back up his nose before folding his arms behind his head. "No, just the usual. What's up?"

"These are some reports left over from Ishbal. I was told to bring them to you."

Hughes quirked and eyebrow but sat forward, grabbing the stack of folders Roy tossed down on the desk. "They making you the errand boy now, Major?"

"Ha, ha. Hardly. These are from my own files; I just thought you could use them." He looked past Hughes as he spoke, the man at the desk sobering slightly. Hughes was well aware of why Mustang would give him his own files—either to help him to the top or to protect him once he got there.

Smiling again, he stacked the group of files nicely and opened a drawer, tossing them in until it was time for him to go home. Once the files were safely locked away, he leaned forward, hands clasped together under his chin, elbows on the desk and a smirk on his lips.

"So, was that the only reason you dropped by, or was there anything else you needed?" His eyes glinted. "Liiiike, perhaps you need help with a certain lady friend? I hear her birthday is coming up; you shouldn't skimp out on something like that."

Roy couldn't stop his hands from clenching, and his teeth ground together as he glared back at Hughes. But a simple glare could never stop Maes Hughes from a good round of teasing.

Oh no, not ever.

"She doesn't seem like the chocolate type of girl. …Maybe a new holster? Or if you want to be sentimental you could always get her a hair clip—she seems to be set on growing out her hair."

"Would you _stop_?"

Innocent blink. "Stop what?"

"Stop _that_."

Hughes shrugged, the perfect image of innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."

While few things in life pleased Hughes more than making Roy Mustang lose his cool, the young Intelligence officer had to admit he appreciated the fact he was indoors for these little tease sessions. Roy was good at keeping his temper, but Hughes didn't want to be on the receiving end of a snap should Roy lose it, and the fact they were within a military building was usually enough to keep the young alchemist from exploding.

"Look," Roy finally managed to grind out, coughing lightly into a gloved fist and brushing his other hand through his hair. "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else by now? How can you just sit there so calmly?"

Hughes lost a bit of the smirk, but picked it right back up as he nodded at the now stationary pencil. "I handle things in my own way."

"Meaning you're nervous as hell," Roy supplied, grabbing a chair and sitting himself down.

"Damn straight." Hughes sat back and sighed, running a hand through his own hair and then over his jaw. "This is the most important day of my life, but I'd like to think I'm handling it perfectly."

Roy smirked. "Of course you are."

"I am," Hughes nodded, fixing his glasses again.

"Good." Roy stood, pushing the chair back where he'd gotten it and giving a quick salute to his friend behind the desk. "I'm going now. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. See ya then."

Roy nodded and headed for the door, stopping beneath the doorway and looking back, the barest hint of a smirk on his face.

"Good luck, Maes."

Then he was gone.

"Thanks a lot," Hughes grumbled, pulling the files from the drawer and standing. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, pulling it shut behind him. "If he just jinxed me, he's dead."

The door slammed with a resolute thud, and within seconds Major Maes Hughes was gone.

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"Okaaaay," he whispered to himself, standing back to admire his handiwork. _Not bad if I do say so myself._

His small apartment was decked out in full bloom, flower arrangements set at every window and one on the table. Hughes reached out to mess with it one more time but stopped himself, opting instead to light the candles he'd set out. _If I touch anything, I'll ruin it. Just… Breathe. Don't worry._ He smirked. _She's going to love this._

Even so, he couldn't help staring at the clock as he waited for the appointed time to arrive, tapping his fingers impatiently. _Just a little longer… She'll be here in just a little while… Dammit clock, faster!_ He glared at the round appliance, mentally demanding it speed up.

The clock just stared right back, ticking just as slow as ever.

Fifteen minutes later, Hughes was on the verge of ripping the time-keeping device off the wall when he heard a soft knock at his door. Jumping off his chair and throwing the screwdriver he'd been holding into his room, he raced to the door, remembering at just the last second to make sure everything was ready: flowers, check; hair combed, check; lit candles and romantic atmosphere, _check_.

Letting out his breath quickly, Hughes pulled the door open as calmly as he could, smiling brightly.

"Gracia, welcome. Please come in."

The blond woman on the other side of the door smiled and blushed, nodding her head in thanks and stepping past him into the small apartment. Hughes felt a burst of pride in his chest at her soft gasp, mentally buffing his nails against his coat.

_Oh yeah, she loves it._

"May I take your coat, my lady?" He asked smoothly, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. Gracia nodded woodenly, her eyes wide as she took in the decorations and the food, and Hughes felt like patting himself on the back. _Hang out around Roy Mustang long enough, and you'll learn a thing or two about smooth talking._

"Maes, this is…" She finally breathed out as he pulled the coat off her shoulders and tossed it neatly over the back of the couch. "This is beautiful."

"Only the best for my only lady."

She turned around and beamed up at him, tears in her eyes and a blush on her cheeks. Hughes grinned and lifted one of her hands, kissing the knuckle tenderly before leading her to the table and pulling the seat out for her to sit in. She blushed a bit more at the chivalry, and Hughes was sure he was in Heaven.

_So far so good, so far so good…_

Taking his seat across from his girlfriend, he cleared his throat and then gestured to the food. "Please help yourself. It's your favorite, isn't it?"

"Yes," she breathed out, happily serving herself. She paused a second, lifting a hand to touch the flowers in the center of the table. "Maes, are these…?"

"Your favorites as well, right? Irises."

"You spoil me…" she blushed again, lowering her hand from the flowers and taking a small bite of food, Hughes watching from across the table with his chin resting on his knuckles and a goofy grin on his face. Gracia paused after a few bites, a shy look in her eye.

"Why, Maes Hughes, whatever has gotten into you? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Just admiring a beautiful lady."

She laughed. "I think you're spending too much time around Roy, dear."

Hughes shrugged, a guilty chuckle issuing from his mouth before he too began to eat. Gracia smiled at him and shook her head, then continued to eat as well.

Dinner finally finished, Hughes stood, offering to take her plate. Gracia nodded, a quiet and surprised "Thank you" on her lips, but Hughes shook his head. "Nope, my treat. Tonight's a special night, after all."

One of her eyebrows raised. "Oh? And why is that?"

Hughes coughed into his hand and shrugged nonchalantly as he walked into his kitchen and deposited the dirty dishes. "Oh, no reason, really. Just that it's a special night."

_Oh my god, -lame-._

Gracia rolled her eyes and stood, moving to the couch to sit down. Maes joined her once he hurriedly rinsed the dishes, sitting with his arm across her shoulders, Gracia leaning into him with her eyes closed, a contented sigh escaping her.

_Ok Maes. The mood is right, the timing is great… Go for it!_

"Uh, Gracia."

"Hmm?"

Hughes felt a sudden wave of panic burst in his chest, but quickly quelled it down. He was never one to panic in a situation like this, or, hell, in _any_ situation. Cool, calm, collected—that was Maes Hughes.

So, steeling himself, he stood, pulling Gracia up with him, ignoring her confused look. "Stay here a second," he whispered before he went to the wall and hit the light switch. With only the candlelight to illuminate the room, he returned to her side, slipping one arm around her waist and taking her other hand in his. "I thought some nice romantic dancing was in order after dinner. What d'you think?"

She smiled, leaning her head against his chest. "I think that's just lovely." She chuckled softly. "My, but you sure seemed to have put a lot of thought into this completely ordinary-but-special night, haven't you?"

"Uh…yeah," he said, looking up at the ceiling quickly and then back down at her. She'd closed her eyes, following his lead blindly. He rather liked that, he decided.

So they danced for a while more, no music but the sound of their own heartbeats, the flickering candlelight growing steadily dimmer as the candles burned low.

Finally, when nearly all the candles had burned out and it seemed from Gracia's breathing that she was going to fall asleep soon, Hughes stopped, tapping her softly on the shoulder and lifting her chin with his other hand. She blinked up sleepily at him, but smiled instantly at the look in his eyes.

"What is it, Maes?"

"Just… There's one more thing I had planned for tonight, and I thought I should mention it before we both fell asleep on our feet."

She smiled up at him, raising herself onto her toes to give him a gentle kiss on the lips. Hughes smiled at the feel of her mouth on his, giving his own chaste kiss back before she pulled away and he moved so she could sit down. Gracia blinked at him when he stayed standing, shifting back and forth slightly, hands in his pockets.

"Maes? Won't you sit with me?"

"Yes, but not yet," he said, leaning down and kissing her forehead gently. "There's still that one thing I had left to do tonight." He took a deep breath, taking his hands out of his pockets and lowering himself to his knees before her, taking her left hand in his and kissing the knuckles gently. Gracia watched him, her eyes slowly beginning to shine as her breath hitched in her throat.

Kissing her hand one more time, Hughes un-cupped his left hand, taking the small ring from his palm with his right hand and gently holding it up.

"Gracia, I love you, and you're the only thing I could ever want in my life. You've kept me whole, made me who I am and have always been with me. You're my soul, my other half, whatever you want to call it—you're everything. And I…I was wondering—hoping, really—if you would now do the one thing that will make my humble life as perfect as it could ever, ever hope to be. Would you give me the honor of being my wife?"

She smiled, tears trailing down her cheeks as she began to laugh and then cry, nodding her head vigorously and nearly falling off the couch in her haste to kiss him, her arms circling his neck as she fell against him. Caught off-guard for a second, Hughes recovered and caught her as they fell to the floor, Gracia laughing and crying against his chest.

_Oh my god, I broke her…_

"Yes."

He blinked, his heart beating like a drum, filling his ears with noise. Had he heard her right…?

"Gracia?"

"Yes," she repeated louder, lifting her face from his chest and kissing him soundly on the lips. "Oh god Maes, yes! Of course I will! I've hoped you would ask me that for so long…"

"Y-you did?"

She nodded her head, laughing some more as the tears kept coming. "Of course! I love you so much, Maes." She buried her head in his chest again, and he wasn't quite sure but he thought she kept repeating "I love you" over and over again.

Folding his arms around her and hugging her to him tightly, Hughes began to chuckle, feeling tears welling up in his own eyes. _She said yes. Thank you lord, she said yes!_

"God, Gracia, I love you so much…" he choked out, kissing the top of her head, running his hands up and down her back. His own back hurt from the way they'd landed, but right then he found he didn't care. He never wanted to move; to just stay there with her in his arms was all he needed. His job, everything else be damned, he had everything he needed right there with him.

And nothing, not even death, could make him let her go.

Eventually, Gracia stilled against him as she fell asleep, her outburst of emotion coupled with how late it was exhausting her. Forcing himself to move, Maes stood and carried her to his room, laying her down on his bed and slipping in beside her, her head pillowed on his chest. Almost asleep himself, Hughes lifted her left hand and kissed her fingertips before sliding the ring onto her ring-finger, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"There you go, love," he whispered, running his hand over her cheek and then folding his arms around her as he finally allowed himself to fall asleep, a smile on his face and his love in his arms.

Out in the dining room, the last candle finally flickered out as it too went to sleep, a job well done.


End file.
